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Truly a master of many trades, VETiS trainer Garrick Dillon found his passion for the construction industry in high school as a teenager.

“We did manual arts until grade 10 at school.  I really loved using my hands and building things” he said.  “I knew when I left school that I didn’t want to go to university, so I did a pre-vocational construction course and absolutely loved it”. 

His first apprenticeship was as a coach builder, which included building buses and other related engineering fabrication.  He then went on to gain qualifications as an electrician, finished a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) and decided to do a Carpentry apprenticeship with his brother-in-law.  This is also how Garrick came to know about Blue Dog Training.

“I did my Certificate III in Carpentry with Blue Dog, and my trainer Kerry told me about a position that had opened up for teaching vocational construction and engineering courses within schools”.  Garrick was a perfect fit for the role, due to his extensive trade and life experience, coupled with his background in education.  “Being a VETiS trainer has been great, because I get to combine my teaching skills and my trade skills.”

It’s possible that Garrick sees a little bit of his teenage self in the schoolkids that he teaches every day through Blue Dog Training.  “Vocational education or a school-based apprenticeship is an avenue for students that really don’t want to do Uni.  Even if our students don’t end up doing a trade, completing the certificates will give them a lot of basic skills that are useful when they’re renting or own their own home in the future.  But certainly, if they enjoy the field and the work, there are a lot of opportunities when starting out at school.”

And while some might find the idea of teaching teenagers daunting, this VETiS trainer has a lot of practice, given that he has five kids of his own!  “Having kids is the most exciting thing I’ve done to date.” He said proudly.

“Oh! And getting married of course!” he quickly added.  We hope Garrick’s wife reads that!

A rarity in the BDT Office, Garrick is a proud supporter of AFL.  His favourite team is the Brisbane Lions.  “They’re on a slump, but they’re on the way up!” he said, stressing that it’s important to stay loyal through the rough patches so you can appreciate the good times! 

If you see Garrick in one of our Blue Dog Training utes, be sure to say HI!